小雷的资料
An Expert's ViewThe Hammer of the Gods: The Life and Legacy of Raistlin Majere
Kashmir Page
Raistlin Majere was born June 17, 328a.c. in Solace, the second son of
Gilon and Rosamum Majere. His twin brother, Caramon, preceded him by
several hours; his half-sister, Kitiara Uth Matar, by eight years. Kitiara
remembered her brothers' birth as her first major battle, for Raistlin was
such a sickly infant that the midwife gave him up for dead. Unlike his
twin, Raistlin was never fully healthy, but both he and Caramon found
their callings early in life: Caramon, as a warrior; Raistlin, as a mage.
Raistlin discovered magic at age four, when he observed
sleigh-of-the-hand techniques from a traveling magician at a fair. Two
years later, he entered Master Theobald's school, where he practiced
penmanship and pronunciation more than the craft itself. He passed his
first magic test in his early teens. Calling upon the three moons, he set
fire to the words, "I, Magus," he'd written on a scrap of lambskin. By
now, the Widow Judith, cleric of Belzor, was living with the Majeres,
brainwashing the ailing Rosamum while pretending to take care of her. The
citizens of Solace ran Widow Judith out of town after Gilon died in a
tragic accident. Rosamum, despondent, followed Gilon to the grave within
days.
Left on their own, the twins struggled to support themselves. Caramon
worked as a farm hand while Raistlin performed magic at fairs, until
apprehended by Master Theobald, who threatened to expel him. After that,
he taught at the mage school as well as working as a herbalist. But
Raistlin wanted more from magic than teaching children and tending the
sick. He foresaw, and wanted an important role, in the War of the Lance.
Realizing he needed more knowledge and skills than Master Theobald's
library provided, Raistlin set out for Haven, the location of the nearest
mageware shop, accompanied by Caramon, Kitiara, and a group of their
friends. On the way, Raistlin and the Widow Judith again crossed paths.
After covertly witnessing her "miracles," Raistlin discovered the "widow"
was actually a renegade wizardess. He proved his theory to the public by
casting a spell similar to hers, turning the kender Tasslehoff into a
giant. This successful endeavor backfired when Kitiara cut the charlatan's
throat, resulting in Raistlin's implication in the crime. He barely
escaped being burned at the stake.
When news of this incident reached the conclave, Par-Salian invited
Raistlin to take the test instead of pressing charges against him.
Par-Salian's logic was two-fold. Like Raistlin, he foresaw a war. If
Raistlin passed, he could become a powerful instrument to the gods. If he
failed, he would cease to be a problem, because failure meant death.
Raistlin barely survived. After a nasty battle with a group of dark elves,
he met Fistandantilus, who offered to help him pass the test in exchange
for his life force. Raistlin accepted, then tried to rescind, and was once
again attacked. At this point, Caramon's spectre appeared, using magic to
rescue his twin. In his fury, Raistlin used a powerful spell to kill the
spectre.
Seeing his host sufficiently weakened, Fistandantilus took at least
part of what he bargained for.
When Raistlin came to, he discovered his hair had turned white; his
skin, gold; while everything he looked upon withered and died. Hoping to
teach Raistlin compassion, Par-Salian cursed him with the hourglass eyes
of Raelanna. Raistlin instead learned bitterness, but now had the power he
craved, as well as the Staff of Magius, at his command.
After the test, the twins worked as Mercenaries. One of their first
assignments was to discover the reason cats were disappearing from
Melekar. During this time, Raistlin supposedly met Amberyl, the Irda woman
rumored to bear his child.*
Five years later, the twins rejoined the other companions at the Inn
of the Last Home to report to one another any acquired knowledge about the
evil invading Ansalon. Kitiara did not attend, but the group met a
barbarian couple, Goldmoon and Riverwind, and were caught up in their
quest for the Disks of Mishakal. Raistlin helped by charming a group of
gully dwarves, who in turn helped the companions find the disks. One of
the dwarves, Bupu, was quite taken with Raistlin, and rewarded his
kindness towards her with the spellbook of Fistandantilus--the very thing
Raistlin had been seeking.
As the forces of good and evil battled throughout Ansalon, Raistlin's
own inner pendulum swung unchecked as his health waxed and waned. His
thirst for knowledge was insatiable, and he spent all of his spare time in
study. He secretly experimented with a dragon orb, later using the orb to
escape a shipwreck, leaving his brother and the other companions behind.
He found himself on the doorstep of the great library, coughing violently
and vomiting blood, and persuaded Astinus to let him spend his final hours
in study. Once again, he called upon Fistandantilus for help, but did not
resurface again until later, when he helped Tanis stab Ariakas, saving
Laurana from the wrath of Kitiara, now a dragonlord, as well as aiding in
Takhisis's downfall. He later found Caramon, Tika, and Tasslehoff and
grudgingly saved them before moving into the Tower of High Sorcery, hoping
to gain independence from Caramon.
Caramon wed Tika, but soon turned to alcohol over his twin's
rejection.
Raistlin, meanwhile, planned to overthrow Takhisis. He revealed his
scheme to Lady Crysania, cleric of Paladine, who, in her own ambition to
destroy evil, agreed to assist him. Raistlin then traveled backwards in
time to the days before the Cataclysm, reclaimed his life force from
Fistandantilus, their spirits merging within Raistlin's body. Caramon and
Tasslehoff then followed Crysania back through time, hoping somehow to
stop them. By now, Raistlin's personality was so altered that Caramon
barely recognized him, but over the months, glimpses of the old Raistlin
occasionally surfaced. When Caramon was caught in a trap, Raistlin freed
him, and for a few brief hours, it was like old times between the two of
them. On several occasions, his deep, hidden love for Crysania broke
through. And in the aftermath of the Dwarfgate Wars, a piece of history he
relived, he was privately saddened over the many gully dwarves who died
that no one cared to remember. But nothing swayed him from what he felt
was his destiny, and after months of plotting, he and Crysania entered the
abyss. Both were seriously injured, but Raistlin, determined to go through
with his plan, allowed neither illusion nor pain to hinder him.
As a battle ensued throughout Ansalon, Caramon entered the portal,
aided the blinded Crysania, and confronted Raistlin, showing him that if
he succeeded in this quest, he would simply rule a dead planet. With this
knowledge, Raistlin closed the portal after his brother and Lady Crysania
escaped, remaining behind to face the wrath of Takhisis, who intended to
torture him throughout eternity. Paladine, however, intervened in
Raistlin's behalf, protecting the archmage as he slept.
It appeared that Krynn had seen the last of Raistlin Majere, but in
the days and months that followed, he became a legend. Twenty-five years
later, Raistlin played a major role in the test of Palin Majere, his
nephew, bequeathing to him the famed Staff of Magius. Later, during the
Chaos war, Raistlin again contacted Palin from the abyss, and together
they witnessed a meeting of the gods. When Kitiara, who died shortly
before Raistlin trapped himself in the abyss, stabbed Palin, Raistlin
pulled him through the portal and saved his life, losing his powers in the
process. Still, he played a crucial role in the defeat of Chaos, as
Palin's advisor.
End.
*written prior to the release of "Brothers in Arms."
